Opening doors 10 years ago, the Islamic College of Melbourne has grown significantly to become one of the most successful schools in the city.

Already the largest non-government school in Tarneit with about 1500 students, the school plans to open a new primary campus to accommodate its growing enrolments.

“We are an academic school. That is our first pillar,” College principal Dr. Abdul Kamareddine told The Age.

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“Our second pillar is faith; in addition to being successful, we want our students to be proud Australian Muslims and not lose their identity.”

The school’s third pillar is behavior and wellbeing, Kamareddine added.

Along with expanding classes, the college has also begun to offer the International Baccalaureate in years 11 and 12, and about a third of senior students select this pathway.

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Kamareddine said the addition of the IB was intended to foster a global perspective among students.

“We want them to be aware that today’s issues are interconnected, that the war in Ukraine would have an impact on how much you pay for groceries in Australia.”

Muslims made up 2.6% of the population of 26 million, according to the last census in 2016. This was up from 2.2% in the 2011 census.

According to the 2016 census, 42% of Muslims live in Greater Sydney, 31% in Greater Melbourne, and 8% in Greater Perth.